This is largely anecdotal evidence taken from the League's medical scheme which has not been published, but such a stark increase can be ascribed to two contrasting reasons.

Firstly, the clubs are going for more expensive and specialist care for their players — which means they recover far more quickly. But, secondly, and worryingly, there has been a high number of injuries sustained by the top players and it can surely be no coincidence that this is happening during a season after a World Cup finals.

The average number of injuries per team was estimated at 40 for the 2007/08 season, rising to 42 for the 2008/09 season and then jumping to 51 for the 2009/10 season. So far this campaign there has been an average of 33 injuries per club, which means the figure is on target to come close or beat last season’s total.

Players are increasingly playing around the calendar, placing their bodies under greater stress, and despite the undoubted advancements in sports medicine and recovery, there is less and less time to rest for the top performers. And it’s not just in England.

The most glaring problem has been caused within the Dutch national team, who went all the way to the final in South Africa. Eighteen of the 23-man strong have suffered significant injuries this season. There have been 48 in total, including 10 hamstrings, 11 ankle/foot, seven back and six groin. Arjen Robben’s problems even led to a legal dispute with his club, Bayern Munich, which has been resolved.

What is concerning the medics now are the looming Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups in Mexico and Colombia, especially as Fifa and the national associations are putting pressure on the clubs to release their best young players. The impact on them next season could be a concern if they play through the summer and it’s something the Football Association will have to address.

Chelsea's scouting mission

The impending departure of Frank Arnesen as Chelsea's sporting director — the likelihood of which was first revealed in this column last year — is leading to a shake-up of the club’s scouting network, which was cut back drastically three years ago.

Head scout Hans Gillhaus, a close associate of Arnesen, is leaving to become Feyenoord’s technical director and now the club’s French scout, Guy Hillion, has also announced his departure. He will return to his former club, Nantes, after five years at Chelsea, to become sporting director and will be released from his contract on April 1.

Such changes are unsurprising, especially as there is a review under way as how best to replace Arnesen or reorganise how the club operate. The pursuit of Arsenal’s chief scout, Steve Rowley, which is ongoing, is one option with enhanced roles for highly-rated performance director Mike Forde and academy director Neil Bath. But there may also be extra responsibility for Lee Congerton, Chelsea’s little-known head of senior scouting and a former academy director at Wrexham, who has been groomed by Arnesen and is regarded as a rising star.

Mourinho's debt to Faye

Step forward Fary Faye. It could be argued that the little-known Senegalese striker changed football history, for he is the last man to score a winning goal away from home in a league match against a team coached by Jose Mourinho. It was for the Portuguese club Beira-Mar against Porto in 2002 with the final score being 3-2 in favour of the visitors.

Next Wednesday marks the ninth anniversary of that defeat and who was to know what it would come to mean? The night before Mourinho will lead Real Madrid into the last 16 of the Champions League away to Lyon.

After losing to Beira-Mar he resolved to rip up the Porto team he had inherited and quickly assemble another one. The next season they won the Uefa Cup, the season after that the Champions League. But maybe he was too harsh on some of those Porto players. After all, in that game, they played 65 minutes with fewer than 11 men and ended the game with only nine players – and still only lost by the odd goalin five.

Wilshere bags his reward

If Jack Wilshere’s extraordinary performance for Arsenal against Barcelona wasn’t enough to confirm his status as a rising star of world football — was there ever any doubt about the 19 year-old’s ability and big-stage temperament? — then there was another piece of evidence of how he is regarded as the midfielder left the Emirates with a broad smile on his face and two special shirts in his bag.

Not only did Wilshere manage to swap shirts with Xavi Hernandez at the end of the game but he also managed to acquire one from Lionel Messi as well. Not a bad night’s work, along with the precious Champions League victory, for Wilshere.